Aaah... the switch to all rifles having perchbelly was just a bit higher than that buttstock. At that serial number range, some have it.. some don't.

Bottom 3 here have a very distinctive perchbelly. Notice the curved bottom on the buttstock, like the belly of a perch. Unlke the top one, which has a factory replacement straight buttstock from the mid-20's when they didn't do perchbelly stocks any more.

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What makes it slightly confusing is that all reference books/articles prior to David Royal's book a few years ago said that 1899's had perchbelly stocks from the very beginning. That's not true. It didn't become standard until 1904/1905.

Last edited by Calhoun; 04/23/19.
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All models and variations of 1895’s, 1899’s and 99’s covered.
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